


Never Wilting

by Salmon_I



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fluff, Historical Figure as a Character, M/M, Sunflowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 19:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16646075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: "Japan wishes to make small talk again?""No, I wished to thank-you for the sunflowers you sent. I took them to my home with me. I was sad when they wilted.""All things wilt in time." Russia answered calmly. "Even the best sunflower does not last forever."





	Never Wilting

People had called him The Fool, but feared him nonetheless. Japan had asked his wife once if she feared him. Ever enigmatic, her smile had always seemed the smile of someone who knew the answer to every secret. "His actions are ever the child, What is there to fear from a child?"

"And yet he is cruel. How is a child cruel?"

She'd laughed in response. "Who is crueler than a child?"

Russia sometimes reminded him of a child. His curiosity. His innocent smile. But there was another side to him. A darker side that threatened violence with a metal pipe and a chilling fascination.

 

 

He'd been an implement in an era of change. He'd killed more people single handedly than anyone other than the two of them knew. There was one, though, to whom he wasn't a blood soaked vision of death. To her he'd once asked how she loved him knowing. Her expression was soft and open, a complete contrast to the smug secrets of his previous confidant.

"Because I love him." She'd replied. "And when you love someone, you love all of them. From the parts that delight you to the parts that displease you. Their lightness and their darkness. You embrace it all with love."

 

 

He'd thought about her words as world meetings came and went. As the world grew and changed. And Russia seemed to remain sadly alone.

Japan remembered what it was like to be all alone. And while some days he was tempted to run and hide again, most days he was happy with how things were. But the more he saw him off to the side again and again, the less happy he felt. It took him a long time to find the nerve to go speak with him, though. It was after a meeting, which had gone about as well as expected - which was to say they'd accomplished absolutely nothing, that he'd followed him into the hallway.

"Russia-san."

The European Nation tilted his head as he gazed at him - looking slightly surprised and slightly confused by this change of routine. And Japan couldn't help but think that the expression was absolutely adorable. "Japan, did you need something from Russia?"

"No, I merely..." Japan hesitated, not sure what to say then. He'd wanted to speak to him, but it didn't seem appropriate to ask outright if he was lonely or felt excluded. It might even anger the other nation to be called out on his solitude. "I wished to inquire if you are well."

Russia stared at him, face completely perplexed. And the expression was again so sweet that Japan had the strongest urge to pull out his phone and take a picture. "I am neither sick nor injured. Did Japan have a reason to believe otherwise?"

"Ah...no..." He glanced down at the floor, wondering if he'd managed to ruin everything anyhow by asking the wrong question. "I was trying to... as America once put it "make small talk"."

"Small talk is made to lead to big talk." Russia responded. "Did Japan want to make big talk with me?"

He felt his face heat, and did his best to ignore the way the sentence made his insides twist. "No, merely small talk."

A large hand rested on his head, ruffling his hair, he half expected downward pressure like he had seen the other exert on other nations. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving him feeling rather bereft. "I have no small talk for you, but I am happy you offered."

When Japan dared to look up, the smile on Russia's face was brighter than he'd ever witnessed. And he wondered how he could have ever been nervous around someone with such a sweet smile.

 

 

The next day he found a sunflower at his station, and while a few of his fellow nations fussed and shot Russia suspicious looks, Japan wasn't bothered in the least. As the conference wore on, though, he pondered how to thank the other for his gift. Eventually pulling out some origami paper and folding it discreetly behind his folder. He almost expected to be caught and called upon for the distraction, but since the other nations tended to cause large distractions, he wasn't surprised that he managed to finish without being caught.

Russia didn't leave the room right away, and Japan had the feeling he was was waiting for him as he approached where he sat. "Thank-you for the flower, Russia-san." He bowed to him. "It would be inappropriate of me to accept the gift without returning it though."

The smile on the other nation's face wavered, and he looked distant. "Japan wants to return my gift?"

"No! To return a gift would be the height of inappropriate behavior!" He exclaimed before he realized his own outburst. "Um... forgive me. I'm very sorry. I wish to keep the gift, that is, unless you wish it back. I would like to give you one of my own." He offered the little paper flower he'd spend the conference crafting.

Russia's eyes widened in delight and he'd taken the paper craft with the most delicate of care. "Japan is giving me a sunflower too?"

"Ah, it is only a poor paper imitation. I hope you do not dislike it."

Russia's response was the same brilliant, innocent smile of the previous day. "I like Japan's sunflower very much."

Japan wondered if it was possible to be addicted to a smile.

 

 

While he was preparing to leave the next day, a knock came on the door to his hotel room. He had a list in his head of possible visitors, but what he didn't expect to find was a flustered delivery man with a pot of live sunflowers.

It was expensive to ship flowers oversees, but every morning when he watered the little pot of sunflowers on his porch he knew it was worth it. He was saddened to realize, though, that even potted sunflowers died. Months later he only had an empty pot to look at rather forlornly.

He saw it at a store in Kitakyushu. While he might have just as easily found it in any other location, it seemed more than appropriate to discover there. And when the next conference came he was beside himself with excitement over presenting it to Russia.

The morning of the conference he arrived early, his package wrapped under one arm. He waited anxiously as other nations drifted inside - each time the door opened he felt his heart leap and fall again. He wondered if that was healthy, but when Russia finally entered he really didn't care. He made his way to his seat, bowing in greeting. "Good morning, Russia-san."

"Japan wishes to make small talk again?" Russia asked, but found his eyes drifting to the package.

"No, I wished to thank-you for the sunflowers you sent. I took them to my home with me. I was sad when they wilted."

"All things wilt in time." Russia answered calmly. "Even the best sunflower does not last forever."

"Oh, but I have one that will!" He offered the package to the other. Russia was giving him that perplexed, tilted head look again. And he really needed to get a picture of it. "Please accept this return gift in thanks to the one you gifted to me." He remembered to say.

Russia's look brightened and he sat down to open the package. When the little toy was unveiled, a sewn smile on it's cheerful face, his eyes widened. "This is a sunflower too."

"Yes, but it is very kawaii, and it will never wilt. And that is not all, please watch." Reaching out a hand, he turned on the power. Music started to come tinnily from the speaker, and the sunflower bobbed and waved to it in some semblance of a dance. "It is a most kawaii sunflower, see?"

Russia was enthralled by the little toy, eyes wide with delight. Japan felt a proud smile come to his face at his accomplishment. The smile quickly disappeared when Russia leaned forward to press a kiss on what was approximately the sunflower's forehead. And Japan realized that the dark gnawing feeling that replaced his previous delight was jealousy toward the little cheerful toy.

 

 

Later that evening, though, there was a knock on the door that sounded somewhat frantic. Japan had a list of possible visitors in mind, but the last thing he expected was for Russia to enter with the Sunflower toy, face completely despondent. "Your sunflower wilted."

Japan blinked, closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry, Russia-san?"

"The happy sunflower wilted. It won't dance anymore." He sounded horribly depressed as he sat in the chair and set the sunflower on the coffee table.

Japan wandered over to the toy, inspecting it with care. He pressed the button, and though he heard a faint whirr. "Ah! I think I know the problem." He went to his luggage, pulling out a set of batteries and came back to kneel by the table. He quickly replaced the batteries, and soon the tinny cheerful song was filling his hotel room. Russia's smile was bright again, and Japan ignored the little dark side of him that was tempted to throw the toy across the room.

"Thank-you, Japan. I am glad you made small talk with me. And I am very glad for your gift."

Suddenly Russia leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead, just as he had the toy flower's at the conference. Japan quickly forgot his jealousy of the inanimate object as he smiled up at the larger nation. Because from then on, he was certain he would always love any sunflower.

 

_Fini_

**Author's Note:**

> This was also written back in the days of the APH fluffathon. The prompt was simply: Japan gives Russia a dancing sunflower toy. (fic or art)
> 
> Russia has always been my favorite APH character, so I have written several fics with him in it over the years. Not a one repeated a ship now that I think about it...
> 
> Other fandom? What other fandom? *smiles innocently*


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